Director at star-producing Barter Theatre to speak at Athens State on importance of theater to communities

Richard Rose, the acclaimed artistic director of the Barter Theatre, will speak at Athens State University on Feb. 28. (Contributed by Athens State University)

ATHENS, Alabama –Richard Rose, the acclaimed artistic director of the Barter Theatre, will speak at Athens State University on the importance of regional theater and its role in community development and the economy.

The Barter Theatre of Abingdon, Va., is one of the oldest and most unique regional theaters in the United States and helped launched the careers of stars such as Gregory Peck, Patricia Neal, Ernest Borgnine and Kevin Spacey.

Founded in 1933 during the Great Depression in Abington, located just a few miles from the Tennessee border, the Barter Theatre took its name from the price of admission: 40 cents or the equivalent in goods.

This “barter arrangement” allowed the local community of farmers and laborers to have their first experiences of professional theater.

As only its third artistic director, Rose has directed, choreographed, and written more than 135 shows. During his tenure, Rose has also renovated and expanded the historic Barter Theatre, founded the Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights, premiered new plays and promoted area folk artists.

In two decades, he has expanded the number of visitors to his Barter Theatre for its year-round slate of plays to more than 160,000 per year.